Bear Digest

Some Ticket Holders for Free Bears Practices Are Cashing In

The after market is quite brisk with sales for tickets to Bears training camp practices that were given out for free.

Gene Chamberlain

Bears fans enter a past training camp at Halas Hall. Tickets are free to camp but there were only a limited number available.
Bears fans enter a past training camp at Halas Hall. Tickets are free to camp but there were only a limited number available. / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
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At least for now, the Bears' distribution of free tickets for training camp has created quite the aftermarket.

Some of those who were fortunate enough to get some of the approximately 1,500 free tickets given out per open practice on Tuesday are selling tickets for a good profit.

Stub Hub on Tuesday listed most tickets available in the $100 range, although there were some for $65 each. Some had sold for $127 apiece.

There is one listing for $359 each on July 27.

These tickets were all free to those who were lucky enough to get on Ticketmaster and get them in what was reported to be about 40 minutes before all were gone.

All of these are general admission tickets. There are no "luxury seats," and fans sit in what amounts to high school style temporary bleachers the Bears set up before training camp and take down afterward.

Days the Bears practice with doors open to the general public are July 26, 27, 30, Aug. 4, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 15.

The Bears are making it sound on their website as if the possibility exists more tickets will be given away at some point.

Fans who try to obtain tickets now at the team website are met with a note to "... stay updated on training camp ticket availability, sign up for Bears SMS alerts."

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All of the tickets for training camp are mobile tickets and not printed. There is no parking at the facility for fans, and they must park at Hawthorn Townline Rd. in Vernon Hills and then ride a shuttle to Halas Hall.

Gates open for practice at 8:30 a.m. but practices start at 9:30 a.m., with the lone exception to those nine practices being the final one. That is the 1 p.m. practice against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.